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If you’ve spent any time at all in Ecuador, you probably know, Ecuadorians like to party. (And make noise in general.)

Yet at the same time I’ve had friends start businesses and complain that the rich in Ecuador are really stingy.

It’s not that. Ecuadorians rich and poor DO spend, probably at a higher rate per their income than North Americans. But the key is on what?

Ecuadorians spend big on parties and special events.

So why not profit off it?

This week I was chatting with a good friend of mine already in the business in Quito.

In Quito, most like to hold gatherings of all types including weddings at fincas (or small farms) near Quito. As for folks from the other big city in Ecuador, Guayaquil, they tend to prefer holding events in hotels or on the beach.

He said the property he manages near Quito has events every week all year. (No winters in Ecuador.)

And he said his property charges $45/person for events and that includes just the use of the premise, no food. With a meal, often a buffet, included he charges $70/person. Liquor is separate and usually brought by the guests.

The only responsibilities of the property owner he continued is to put the tents and seats required for the event as well as a basic sound system and one employee per every 20 guests. The employees charge around $25/day.

He said the average event (mostly birthdays and quinceneras) has around 40-60 people.

Weddings he hosts can often have around 300 guests.

That’s $13,500 income in just 1 day!

He also said that all a property needs is to be well-manicured, at least an acre large, have ample parking and a gazebo or party hall along with some public bathrooms.

The decorations and everything else the guests bring themselves.

Definitely something I plan on checking more into 2018!

Hasta pronto, if you liked this sign up for my Ecuador Insider’s newsletter so you can check out my latest posts(not available online) on living and investing in Ecuador:

I’d put it in a CD with the JEP credit union in Ecuador.They offer 1 year certificates of deposit earning a yearly interest of 9%. And you can even opt to get paid the interest monthly.

Hard to beat that. Even countries that historically pay good interest rates are paying low now on their CD’s, Russia is paying around 4%APY and Brazil only around 3%APY. I know, I’m invested there as well.

Anyone can open an account with them with just a passport, it’s not as strict as the normal banks.

But I think you’d have to be stupid to invest more than $32k with them because that is the amount what deposits are insured to per depositor.

Now I did lose money a few years back when that other credit union closed in Ecuador, the Coopera, but there is a big difference between the JEP and Coopera, the JEP is insured by the government of Ecuador, Coopera wasn’t.

$30,000 deposited at 9%APY generates a nice income of $225 monthly. Not a bad way to start 2018.

And if you have more money you’d like to invest I’d consider inexpensive beach property in Ecuador.

Hasta pronto, if you liked this sign up for my Ecuador Insider’s newsletter so you can check out my latest posts(not available online) on living and investing in Ecuador:

“I can’t believe my friend in Montanita,” I said recently to another friend over a drink in a small bar in Manglaralto, a small town next to Montanita on the coast of Ecuador.

“He’s from the States, moved down here, bought a hotel and is running the business, but he doesn’t have a CLUE about doing business in Ecuador.” I continued.

Doing business in Ecuador is actually quite EASY comparatively to the USA.

But you gotta know the basics.

And hire a good local accountant, they don’t charge much, mine charges me around $35-50 a month.

But here’s 6 things you HAVE TO KNOW before you start a business in Ecuador. ALL of which my buddy who was already actively doing business in Ecuador had no clue about and was not doing!

1. First, if you buy a business or a property with a business attached, i.e. a hotel, have the previous owner fire all the current employees before you start, you can hire one or two of them back if you want, but don’t just keep them on, because when you fire people in Ecuador you have to pay them quite hefty “liquidation payments” based on how long they’ve worked for you so be sure the previous owner takes care of that before you get on.

2. Next thing know you MUST affiliate all your employees to the IESS social security system and pay a percentage of their wage to said organism every month. Even part-time employees, the only exception is when hiring contract work in which case ask for the factura or official receipt for the work rendered.

3. Also, know that any business must get a tax ID number called a RUC (foreigners can get one) and then you must give all your clients official receipts for their purchase based off the RUC called FACTURAS on which you charge the 12% sales tax called IVA, and once a month declare with the help of an accountant your sales and expenses and pay the sales tax you collected on the difference.

4. Permits while generally easy to attain in Ecuador are necessary, inquire at your local Municipal which are necessary for your specific business type.

5. There is an income tax in Ecuador called IMPUESTO A LA RENTA that needs to be declared and paid every March. It’s much lower than in the USA and for most income brackets it’s less than or around 15%. Ask accountant for assistance.

6. You must pay employees two bonus payments yearly, one equal to the minimum wage in August (which hovers around $400) and one equal to their monthly salary in December. You must make them sign a document (ROL DE PAGOS) once you pay them that your local accountant can give you upon request.

That’s it! Know that, hire an accountant for the particulars and your off to a great start!